“H-how should I… I couldn’t even… properly thank him.”

Margaret had planned to express her gratitude to Belus for the favor the Duke of Delta had shown. She had practiced her words for days.

“I couldn’t even start… Like a… a coward.”

“No, that’s not true at all.”

The nursemaid tried to calm her down by gently patting her hand, but Margaret was far from being consoled.

The nursemaid felt a pang of sorrow. The only daughter of the noble house of Gracian was being treated this way. She was a goddaughter of the Queen, and her maternal family was a respected earl’s family.

Despite everything the Burin family had, that was beyond money’s reach, how could Belus of the Delta family behave so rudely?

“I can’t tell father. He will be so upset.”

The nursemaid wished she could disagree. The Duke should have known about this long ago.

‘Surely, he who cherishes his daughter more than life itself wouldn’t stand for such appalling treatment.’

He would return everything, even if it meant a decline in their family’s fortunes, just to protect his precious daughter. Even if the Burins fell from grace, they would remain noble until the end.

But the nursemaid couldn’t bring herself to tell the Duke about Margaret’s miserable situation.

“And what if father asks for an annulment…”

Margaret sobbed quietly. The nursemaid nodded in agreement, holding her hand even tighter.

Ah, the trials of love. Making a young woman so aware and causing a face that should be bright and lovely to be marred by tears.

The nursemaid’s heart felt torn apart.

If Deborah had been a maid continuously without any breaks, she might have reached the position of a ‘head of a section’.

In that case, when hiring or selecting managerial staff, she could have offered her opinions to the housekeeper or the mistress.

However, since leaving the Heather family, Deborah had to engage in various jobs until she met Mrs. Saint, and thus, she never had the chance to handle managerial duties.

This meant that conducting an interview was a first for her.

‘I’m feeling nervous.’

Outwardly, she seemed no different than usual, but inside, she was somewhat trembling.

Even the interview location was the same place where Deborah had her own interview. The space, which had been chaotic with fallen screens, tables, and broken teacups, was now neatly organized.

Yet, as soon as Deborah entered the room, the memories of that day vividly returned, along with the embarrassment and tension she felt.

“I really don’t know if I should be sitting here.”

Deborah murmured, and Cedric responded.

“Of course, it’s okay. It was the master’s order, after all.”

“Ha ha.”

Today, they were to meet with four interviewees.

Abigail, Clara, Grace, and Irene.

All four women, ranging from their late thirties to early forties and having raised children, were suitable for the live-in governess position.

They were all proficient in social dancing, played the piano, and could recite by heart the poetry collection that was currently popular among noblewomen.

How to pick the most qualified out of these similar candidates? The method was obvious and simple – present a new problem and see who performs best.

“Shall I ask the questions to the interviewees?”

Cedric asked, smiling, but appearing somewhat sorrowful to Deborah.

“Oh, if you could do that, it would lighten my heavy burden.”

“Ha ha. Feel free to ask any questions you might have.”

“I don’t think that will be necessary. I trust Mr. Rareford completely.”

Deborah thought to herself with a smile.

‘Yes. Maybe this situation is better than if Jen were conducting the interviews.’

With the polite and humorous Cedric, there was no worry of rude questions.

‘It’s better to have fewer people hurt. Especially since three will be rejected…’

Thus, Deborah thought she could just sit comfortably during the interview.

But Cedric’s questions turned out to be quite different from what Deborah had expected.